Injuries or illnesses complicated by the presence of radiological, chemical or biological contaminants present a unique problem to the medical community. Immediate medical care must be delivered to a contaminated accident victim. It is also imperative that these contaminants be contained and disposed of properly in order to minimize potential hazards to victims, attendants and to the medical care facility. It is necessary to deliver emergency medical treatment while providing a method for removing and collecting the contaminants.
Prior art methods for facilitating medical treatment, decontamination and containment of the contaminants from an injured contaminated victim have not been effective. Particularly when the victim is not ambulatory and has extensive contamination, there has not yet been an effective procedure developed to rapidly treat and decontaminate the victim without excess movement of the victim and/or spreading the contaminants.
Prior methods for decontaminating contaminated patients require that the patient be placed in a decontamination unit with concave supports and the like. The decontamination units have been ineffective in totally removing all contamination from the patient, and were unable to provide an enlarged patient support area for use during medical treatment. No device has yet been made available which can be used in combination with standard and readily available hospital gurneys and stretchers.
It would be of great advantage to the medical community if a decontamination table could be provided which would facilitate rapid emergency medical care and would permit the removal of toxic chemicals, radioactive materials or biological agents and organisms from non-ambulatory patients. In addition, such a table would be extremely useful in treating burn injuries and in cooling victims of hypothermia. Such a decontamination table would also be very suitable for use by morticians and medical personnel performing autopsies.